A doctor repsonds to The coming rationing disaster of Obamacare

October 29, 2010 15:12


A doctor responds to the video  The coming rationing disaster of Obamacare which we found at Monty Pelrein’s World. Here is a doctor’s response also from Monty Pelrein’s World.

In response to the previous medical post entitled More Medical Horror a Doctor responded and corroborated much of the information. Here is the response:

Pretty well sums it up, as I understand the two bills – the Stimulus and Obamacare.  That is why my Hope is at Zero Kelvin, aha, aha, about the future of my profession and, indeed, the future of America.

Obama and his fellow travelers have managed to put in place the structure for deconstructing the American medical system.  It WILL be a “death by a thousand cuts” for healthcare providers up to 1/1/2013, then, as this speaker so eloquently says, it will be wholesale slaughter for providers AND patients.  In my field of Medical Oncology, there is talk that at least 30% of us will cease practicing by 2015, probably earlier.  In Houston, there are 4 oncologist that I know of that have already retired.

The recess appointment of Donald Berwick, MD, as the head of CMS, earlier this year confirms exactly the intent of the federal government in “bending the cost curve”.  You simply cannot pay for it our of the federal treasury without rationing, period.  Since private medical health insurance will be essentially gone by 2013, I predict, well, it was nice knowing you Grandma!  See my previous post.

Dr. Berwick has in his sights 4 main specialities:  Orthopedics, Oncology, Cardiology and Dialysis.  I believe the move by the FDA/ODAC to rescind label approval for Avastin for metastatic breast cancer earlier this year was a trial balloon of this “Health Effectiveness” crap.  For those of you unaware of this flap, Avastin is a very expensive drug given in conjunction with chemotherapy for women with metastatic breast cancer (as well as other cancers).  The early trials did show an improvement in progression free survival, and most oncologists using this drug in the private community believe this drug, when used earlier in the disease, significantly prolongs overall survival.  I share the latter view.  Anyhoo, the drug is very expensive, adding approximately $5000 to each treatment in drug cost alone.  (My reimbursement for the cost of the drug is $5040 , for a net of $40, assuming I am paid every penny, so please do not think I am getting rich here.)   We should know in November if this drug will continue to be paid for by Medicare for women fighting metastatic breast cancer.

So what to do about this legislation?   I think this speaker is very naive to think that even a Republican or conservative replacement of the legislative and executive branch will “repeal” this bill.  I may be wrong, but I do not think a subsequent Congress EVER repealed the legislation of a previous one, there may even be a statute preventing same.

My advice?

For patients, stay healthy, get whatever medical stuff done now you can, cross your fingers you don’t get cancer, renal failure, a heart attack or a broken hip after 2013.

For my fellow physicians?  Perhaps forming a nationwide hospice company for end of life care for all the patients denied care by Obamacare is all that is left to us.

Here is the video in case you missed it:



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